Does anyone remember the toy Stretch Armstrong from their childhood? For anyone with no idea what I’m talking about, Stretch is a rubber action figure filled with a gel substance. This allowed you to pull his four limbs out of shape and stretch his body out of proportion. You might be wondering, what does Stretch Armstrong have to do with sustainability? Let me try to explain.
At the start of my challenge, I committed to cycling to and from college (limb one pulled). I then decided to cycle everywhere unless a car journey was necessary (limb 2). With both arms fully stretched, I could wrap them around my body twice, things were still looking rosy, so I went vegetarian (limb 3). With both arms and one leg now firmly pulled, mental and physical fatigue has kicked in massively this week. How can I take that extra Stretch with all these new lifestyle changes on top of adjusting to college life? Over the last few days, I’ve thought about this question a lot. Eventually, it occurred to me that there is not much point in making so many positive changes if I cannot maintain them. After all, this is a sustainability challenge. I decided that the best way to take that extra step is by continuing to work on the changes I have already adopted (limb 4).
Three weeks have gone by, and I feel like a fully stretched out, well-worn Stretch Armstrong action figure. However, I’m sure that the fatigue will ease over time, and I will be better accustomed to my new lifestyle choices.
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Darren Clarke commented on Day 25: Maintaining the Stretch 4 years agoHi Aaron. Firstly, don't underestimate how far you've come and how much you've achieved in a relatively short 27 days or so. You've stretched yourself in lots of ways, beyond what you initially thought was possible perhaps - so well done! I like your analogy of Stretch Armstrong. Sadly, I remember him which might say more about my age than anything else! It's a good analogy as it shows how malleable we are to change if we enable it, as you have shown. It's interesting to hear about fatigue setting in. This is normal when we are undergoing change in our lives, so don't be disheartened. Secondly, well done on standing up for wellness and health in your previous work and for the results you achieved. Your experience obviously stands to you in this challenge as you have shown commitment and dedication over the last 27 days or so by standing up for what you believe in in terms of the environment. In what ways have your experiences in the last month influenced your relationship with change? What potential do you see to influence climate and environmental problems beyond this challenge? Looking forward to the final few blog posts. Darren Respond
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